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freitasm

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#302797 21-Dec-2022 12:45
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Press release:

 

 

The ribbon has been cut on the Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway, in time for the holiday season and the start of a bumper summer for tourists in New Zealand.

 

“Peka Peka to Ōtaki is the latest part of the Government’s investment into the lower North Island transport network,” Kieran McAnulty said.

 

“Connecting with the MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway and Transmission Gully Motorway, Peka Peka to Ōtaki will make it more reliable and safer for people and goods to travel through the lower North Island.

 

“Peka Peka to Ōtaki provides people with a safer way to travel, more reliable travel times and less congestion at major pinch points north of Peka Peka. The continuous four-lane route also helps connect communities along the corridor, lets freight move more efficiently and bolsters the economy. Additionally, it creates greater network resilience in that another transport route is available to road users.

 

“The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport infrastructure to future proof the network for future generations to come, securing New Zealand’s economy and supporting our regions to thrive.

 

“Delivering on projects such as Peka Peka to Ōtaki helps address our current infrastructure deficit, improve road safety, and meet our future needs caused by population growth and climate change.

 

“Our road safety vision is an Aotearoa where no one is killed or being seriously injured on our roads. We’ve set an initial target of reducing the number of people dying or seriously injured by 40 percent by 2030. Achieving this target requires improving all parts of the transport system, including safer roads, vehicles, drivers and speeds.

 

“Peka Peka to Ōtaki is built to the highest safety specifications and will provide a much safer route for road users. The new expressway will also see fewer vehicles transiting through the roads around Ōtaki, creating a safer environment for locals and visitors,” Kieran McAnulty said.

 

Minister McAnulty said the new road is a testament to the massive amount of work from all involved in its construction

 

“I’d like to acknowledge the hundreds of people who have worked tirelessly to get this road finished in time for the holiday season. There were challenges along the way, such as bad weather and Covid-19 impacts that caused some delays. However, the team worked incredibly hard to overcome these setbacks and it’s fantastic to have the road ready for people to use,” Kieran McAnulty said.

 

Government representatives, local councillors, iwi, stakeholders and community gathered to cut the ribbon today on the 13-kilometre expressway, which will be opened to traffic in phases from this evening and be fully open by Friday.

 

Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway – key facts

 

  • The Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway is a four-lane expressway stretching approximately 13 kilometres from Peka Peka to north of Ōtaki (bypassing the township with northbound and southbound off-ramp exits to Ōtaki).
  • A key part of the Wellington Northern Corridor programme, the new road forms part of the Kāpiti Expressway – connecting with the 18km MacKay’s to Peka Peka expressway section and the 27km Transmission Gully motorway.
  • The Peka Peka to Ōtaki expressway will improve road safety in the area, reduce congestion on local roads, ensure more reliable journey times and enable more efficient movement of increasing freight volumes.
  • Along with the construction of the road itself:

     

    • nine bridges and two underpasses have been built, including a new Ōtaki River Bridge with a shared path
    • a 10km off-road shared path for cyclists/pedestrians/equestrians has been created, linking a comprehensive shared path network through Kāpiti District
    • 107 streetlights have been erected
    • 50+kms of safety barrier have been installed
    • more than 50 culverts and six new wetlands have been constructed
    • two 6m high gateway sculptures will be erected at each end of Ōtaki (to welcome people into the township)
    • around 10km of local roads have been created.





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wratterus
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  #3012726 21-Dec-2022 13:21
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Gonna be so good getting to Palmy. Will be interesting to see what the tail back is like - certainly a chunk of commuter traffic will be gone by Otaki, but I still reckon it's still going to be pretty bad at peak times. 

 

Wish they would bring forward the construction of the O2NL section - it's still minimum 2 years away from even starting. 




wratterus
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  #3012756 21-Dec-2022 14:18
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Google Maps is certainly not as up with the play on this as they were with the Transmission Gully opening. 


wellygary
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  #3012778 21-Dec-2022 14:56
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" which will be opened to traffic in phases from this evening and be fully open by Friday."

 

 

 

I can't find any info on what the "phases" are, so it sounds like they are winging it a bit

 

(When I last looked in early December,  the northbound lanes were certainly more finished than the southbound ones north of the Otaki bridge) 

 

 

 

In regard to the 2:1 merge, yeah it will be a pain, but the forest lakes passing lanes are only 1km north, so that should help to keep the flow moving

 

(until the "Road to Zero" crowd get to it as part of the safety improvements - its the only northbound passing lane left before Levin  as the others are now all growing bright yellow flexi-posts )  

 

2022-12-20_Coote_PP2O_488 by Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway, on Flickr




jonathan18
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  #3012797 21-Dec-2022 16:06
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wratterus:

 

Google Maps is certainly not as up with the play on this as they were with the Transmission Gully opening. 

 

 

Don't worry, they won't be the last! Tesla's routing took months to be updated to include Transmission Gully, leading to weird recommendations like travelling to Whitby from the north via Paekakariki Hill Road, even after TG had been opened for ages.


Wombat1
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  #3012799 21-Dec-2022 16:08
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Nice and about time. Is it 110km/h?


wratterus
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  #3012800 21-Dec-2022 16:11
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Wombat1:

 

Nice and about time. Is it 110km/h?

 

 

Not currently. I wouldn't hold your breath...maybe once they complete the whole thing it might be changed. Pretty sure all of TG north meets the standard for it. 


old3eyes
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  #3013068 22-Dec-2022 10:45
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Open on Friday, closed in a month while they fix the surface.





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rscole86
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  #3013091 22-Dec-2022 12:21
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wellygary:

In regard to the 2:1 merge, yeah it will be a pain, but the forest lakes passing lanes are only 1km north, so that should help to keep the flow moving




The Forest Lakes passing lanes have been closed and a turning bay installed southbound.

wellygary
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  #3013092 22-Dec-2022 12:25
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rscole86:
wellygary:

 

In regard to the 2:1 merge, yeah it will be a pain, but the forest lakes passing lanes are only 1km north, so that should help to keep the flow moving

 




The Forest Lakes passing lanes have been closed and a turning bay installed southbound.

 

No surprises there then, another 7 years of the conga line all the way to Levin...


mattwnz
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  #3013118 22-Dec-2022 14:29
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old3eyes:

 

Open on Friday, closed in a month while they fix the surface.

 

 

 

 

Have they just used chip again, rather than decent asphalt? 

 

 

 

Not looking forward to the chipped windscreen and paint work this summer with all the chip roadworks occurring. 


wellygary
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  #3013134 22-Dec-2022 15:02
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mattwnz:

 

Have they just used chip again, rather than decent asphalt? 

 

Not looking forward to the chipped windscreen and paint work this summer with all the chip roadworks occurring. 

 

 

No, Its all OGPA (Open-Graded Porous Asphalt)- 
https://www.nzta.govt.nz/media-releases/nzta-announces-an-upgrade-for-the-surface-of-the-pp2o-expressway/

 

They'll eventually be forced to do TG, but they will resist for years, 

 

 


Obraik
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  #3013219 22-Dec-2022 18:34
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wratterus:

 

 Pretty sure all of TG north meets the standard for it. 

 

 

What is the standard for it? I thought Christchurch's "new" southern motorway would have qualified but we're stuck at 100km/h





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mattwnz
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  #3013227 22-Dec-2022 19:25
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You are lucky you are not getting your main State Highway dropped from 100 to 80 or less, like the State Highway 2 through the Wairarapa. IMO it is crazy that they know the roads need improving, such as putting a divider down the centre and/or  widening them,  they are dropping the speeds on them.


Bung
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  #3013234 22-Dec-2022 19:44
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wellygary:

" which will be opened to traffic in phases from this evening and be fully open by Friday."


 


I can't find any info on what the "phases" are, so it sounds like they are winging it a bit



"Phases" is a rather empty claim. As at 6pm Thurs 22nd the only new road opened is the SH1 on ramp section north of the Otaki roundabout. Nothing southbound.

Obraik
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  #3013237 22-Dec-2022 20:13
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mattwnz:

 

You are lucky you are not getting your main State Highway dropped from 100 to 80 or less, like the State Highway 2 through the Wairarapa. IMO it is crazy that they know the roads need improving, such as putting a divider down the centre and/or  widening them,  they are dropping the speeds on them.

 

 

It's not a motorway though. In a lot of countries, such as the in Europe or the North America, our 100km/h non-divided road speed is comparatively high. For those countries, 80-90km/h is the norm.

 

It's all well and good to say "well, they should add dividers" but that is often a multi-year project with significant cost. 





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